West Islip Union Free School District

At the November 4, 2024 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Romanelli presented regarding proposed regionalization plans in New York State. This was followed by a discussion with the Board of Education and the opportunity for public comment. As a unified team, the Central Administration, the West Islip Association of School Administrators (WIASA), the West Islip Teachers Association (WITA), and the Board of Education, approved a letter to Assistant Commissioner David Frank addressing this matter. The concerns outlined in the letter are directly related to the recent emergency rulemaking initiated by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) on the development and implementation of regionalization plans for BOCES regions. While we recognize the importance of optimizing educational resources and opportunities, we believe that regionalization, as currently proposed, will not effectively achieve these goals. We have respectfully requested that NYSED reconsider this rulemaking and to prioritize a process that values local control, stakeholder engagement, and community-specific needs.

• Please see a copy of the letter here: Regionalization Letter - for website - 11 5 24.pdf

A signed copy of this letter was mailed on Tuesday, November 5, 2024

In addition, please see information below from our Board of Education meeting on Monday, November 4th discussing this topic:

• Meeting Video - Board Meeting November 4 2024
• PowerPoint Presentation - September 2024 NYS Board of Regents Meeting - PowerPoint Presentation (nysed.gov)

Want to get involved and make your voice heard? Please click the following link for access to a customizable form letter addressed to Assistant Commissioner Frank. 

The West Islip Board of Education has already signed on with the Coalition of School Board Members (COSBM) opposing Regionalization in New York State:

• Email to NYSED Opposing Regionalization

At a special meeting of the Board of Education on December 5, 2024, Dr. Romanelli and Mr. Tussie signed a letter “opting out” of the regionalization process for the West Islip UFSD. 

• A copy of the letter can be found here: Regionalization letter to Dr Betty Rosa 12-5-2024.pdf

In addition, The Board of Education approved a resolution to retain special council, Rigona LLC, and an additional resolution authorizing the commencement of Article 78 regarding regionalization litigation.